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GEORGE  MOREWOOD  LEFFERTS 

A.M.,  M.D.,  M.S. 


DAVID   BRYSON  DELAVAN 

M.D. 


Riy4.LJ2     mr 

intijeCitpoflrttigork 

College  of  ^l)j>s!itiansJ  anb  ^urgeonjf 

Hitirarp 


Gi/i 


Di^,  D.B.DeUKo.n 


Ack.  WCR 


October  16th,  1935. 

Dear  Dr.  Reppleye, 

I  heve  your  letter  of  yester- 
day, and  thoroughly  appreciate  your  interest 
and  kind  cooperation. 

Perhaps  the  matter  comes  more 
appropriately  from  ne  because  I  pm  r  member  of 
the  Historical  Corxiittee/and  tlie  Lefferts* 
Clinic  so-called  is  now  not  only  e.   thing  of 
historical  interest,  but  a  valuable  lesson  in 
the  methods  of  a  certain  kind  of  instruction 
to  under-gradupts  students.   It  is  ivorthy  of 
appreciation^  and  full  of  suggestion  ss  to  the 
possibilities  of  advanced  torching. 

There  is  no  place  v/here  the 
knovdedge  of  it  could  be  more  worthily  perpetu- 
ated. I  am  hpppy  to  send  to  the  College  as 
many  copies  of  the  Lefferts  Memorial  as  desira- 
ble, and  v/ill  not  only  follo^.7  your  sugr-estion 
but  will  hold  others  st   your  command. 

I  congratulate  the  Hedicj^l 
Department  upon  the  incumbency  of  Dr.  John  D, 
Kernan  -  it  could  hardier  find  a  better  man. 


I  am 


Thanking  you  for  your  letter 
Yours  sincerely, 


l^i^OVi^vX-^  .aJ2-v^A.^)Ux•'^^■«^^ 


V 


GEORGE  MOREWOOD  LEFFERTS 


^^y^^.£i^JuX!, 


GEORGE  MOREWOOD  LEFFERTS 

A.M.,  M.D.,  M.S. 


A  Sketch  of 
His  Life  and  Work 


WITH   A   DESCRIPTION    OF  HIS   TEACHING    METHODS 

ILLUSTRATED  BY 

THIRTY  FULL  PAGE  HALFTONE  PLATES 


BY 

DAVID   BRYSON  DELAVAN 

M.D. 


NEW  YORK 
1921 


«\^\ 


IN 

GRATEFUL 

MEMORY 


FOREWORD 


The  background  of  this  sketch  is  an  acquaintanceship  begun 
almost  in  infancy,  resumed  in  early  manhood  and  thenceforth 
continued  under  conditions  of  peculiar  intimacy  for  more  than 
forty  years. 

For  twenty-one  years  his  associate  at  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  where  we  together  developed  his  system  of  instruc- 
tion; his  alternate  at  the  Demilt  Dispensary  in  its  palmj'  days; 
his  literary  co-worker,  and  always  his  near  neighbor  and  frequent 
companion,  it  was  for  me  the  opportunity  of  a  lifetime  to  have 
been  inspired  by  his  enthusiasm  and  trained  under  the  discipline 
of  his  matchless  instruction.  Recognizing  the  brilliant  attain- 
ments of  many  of  his  contemporaries,  it  must  be  conceded  that 
in  certain  accomplishments  at  least  he  stood  preeminent. 

These,  together  with  his  teaching  methods,  we  have  tried  to 
set  forth,  believing  that  the  record  of  them  is  too  valuable  to 
be  lost. 

D.  B.  D. 


GEORGE  MOREWOOD  LEFFERTS. 

1846-1920 


The  passing  of  George  ^Nlorewood  Lefferts  marks  the  close  of 
an  important  era  in  the  history  of  laryngology,  as  well  as  the 
departure  of  one  whose  lifework  exercised  no  little  influence  in  the 
development  and  dissemination  of  the  knowledge  of  his  art. 

Student,  pioneer,  organizer,  instructor,  practitioner  and  always 
leader,  we  may  with  profit  to  ourselves  study  the  incidents  of  his 
brilliant  and  eminently  useful  career,  and  analyze  the  elements  of 
character  and  of  disposition  which  contributed  to  its  success. 

Dr.  Lefferts  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  X.  Y.,  February  24,  1846. 
His  grandfather  was  of  a  distinguished  Dutch  family  of  Xew 
Amsterdam,  the  original  member  of  which  came  over  from  Holland 
in  1660.  The  maternal  grandfather  was  Gilbert  Allen,  an  oldtime 
merchant  of  X'ew  York,  but  like,  the  grandmother,  of  the  purest 
and  best  of  the  original  Xew  England  stock,  one  branch  dating 
back  to  the  Mayflower. 

^larshall  Lefferts,  his  father,  was  by  profession  an  electrical 
engineer  in  X'ew  York,  and  the  inventor  of  improvements  in 
telegraphy.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  character  and  remarkable 
physical  perfection,  possessed  of  characteristics  which  easily 
placed  him  in  successful  command  as  Colonel  of  the  7th  Regiment 
X^.  G.  S.  X^.  Y.,  then  as  now  the  best  regiment  of  militia  in  the 
L'nited  States.  At  the  tune  of  the  Civil  War,  with  the  Capital 
practically  unprotected,  the  7th  Regiment  was  the  first  to  reach 
Washington,  thus  relieving  the  keen  anxiety  of  President  Lincoln, 
who  for  eleven  trying  days  and  nights  had  watched  from  the 
windows  of  the  White  House  the  campfires  of  the  enemy  just  across 
the  Potomac.  As  a  child  the  writer  was  one  of  the  deeply  moved 
throng  which  cheered  the  gray-clad  regiment  as  it  made  its  splendid 
march  down  Broadway,  with  Col.  Lefterts  at  the  head.     Twice 


12  MEMORIAL 

in  these  later  days,  under  other  fine  leadership,  has  he  witnessed 
this  same  stirring  pageant,  but  neither  these  nor  others  of  their 
kind  have  dulled  for  him  the  thrill  of  that  early  memory.  So  well 
had  the  men  of  the  7th  been  instructed  and  trained  for  military 
duty  under  the  leadership  of  Col.  Lefferts  that  of  the  1100  com- 
posing its  roster  620  were  quickly  selected  as  officers  and  placed  in. 
command  of  less-experienced  troops,  a  service  nobly  repeated  in  the 
Spanish  and  World  Wars.  The  history  of  the  father  was  exempli- 
fied in  that  of  the  son,  who,  no  less  a  captain  of  men,  trained  an 
army  of  leaders  in  the  march  of  scientific  progress.  The  inventive 
genius,  the  initiative,  the  abihty  and  the  power  to  command  which 
were  so  conspicuous  in  the  son  were  clearly  inherited. 

Dr.  Lefferts 's  preliminary  education  was  received  in  the  public 
schools  of  New  York,  and  he  was  graduated  from  the  College  of  the 
City  of  New  York  in  1867.  He  at  once  entered  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Columbia  University,  receiving  the 
degree  of  M.D.  in  1870.  In  1869  he  received  the  Honorary  Degree 
of  A.M.  from  Dickinson  College,  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  and  in 
1901  the  Degree  of  M.S.  from  Columbia  University.  Upon  gradu- 
ating in  medicine  he  filled  a  short  interneship  in  Bellevue  Hospital, 
New  York,  passing  from  that  to  an  eighteen  months'  service  at 
St.  Luke's  Hospital. 

Following  the  fashion  of  the  day,  he  then  went  to  Europe, 
where  he  spent  two  years  of  well-directed,  earnest  work  at  the 
laryngological  clinics  of  London,  Paris  and  Vienna.  His  earnest- 
ness and  ability  soon  recommended  him  to  his  instructors,  who 
recognized  in  him  a  pupil  sure  to  do  them  credit  and  were  accord- 
ingly interested  in  him.  This  was  particularly  true  in  Vienna, 
where  he  attended  the  clinic  of  Professor  von  Schrotter,  and  later 
that  of  Professor  Karl  Stoerk,  of  the  Imperial  University.  Upon 
the  latter  he  made  such  a  favorable  impression  that  he  was  soon 
appointed  Chief  of  Clinic,  which  highly  creditable  and  advanta- 
geous position  he  held  during  the  years  1871-73,  until  his  departure 
from  Vienna,  being  the  first  young  American  to  have  attained 
that  coveted  distinction.  Upon  completing  his  studies  at  Vienna 
he  received  from  Prof.  Stoerk  a  testimonial  of  which  the  follow- 
ing is  a  translation: 


GEORGE  MOREWOOD   LEFFERTS  13 

The  undersigned  hereby  certifies  that  Dr.  G.  M.  LefFerts  has 
frequented  his  Laryngoscopic  Clinic  since  October,  1871,  with  such 
zeal  and  success  and  has  shown  during  his  time  of  study  such  skill  that 
he  gave  him  the  position  of  his  assistant  when  it  became  vacant. 

During  his  time  of  service  Dr.  Lefferts  has  repeatedly  performed 
both  operations  for  laryngeal  polypi  and  other  difficult  intralaryngeal 
operations  with  such  skill  that  the  undersigned  can  certainly  term  him 
one  of  the  best  laryngoscopists.  Dr.  Lefferts  has  won  this  acknowl- 
edgement particularly  from  the  fact  that  he  represented  me  so  effi- 
ciently in  my  courses  on  laryngeal  diseases  and  laryngoscopy,  that 
during  my  absence  he  conducted  both  the  instruction  of  my  students 
and  the  clinical  treatment  of  the  patients  quite  independently  and  to 
my  extreme  satisfaction  up  to  the  present  time. 

The  only  thanks  for  his  efficient  services  that  I  can  possibly  offer 
him  is  to  acknowledge  them  in  documentary  form  and  to  recommend 
him  most  warmly  to  every  one  on  account  of  his  great  attainments  in 
medical  science. 

(Signed)  Dr.  Karl  Stoerk, 

Professor  of  Laryngoscopy  and  LarjTigeal  Diseases, 
Imperial  University  of  Vienna,  etc. 

Vienna,  March  13,  1873. 

Both  of  his  Viennese  instructors  regarded  his  subsequent  success 
with  genuine  pride.  They  were  his  warm  friends  for  life.  The 
same  was  true  of  those  in  London  and  Paris. 

His  student  companions  of  those  early  days  have  always  reverted 
with  pleasure  to  the  delightful  impression  everywhere  made  by 
him. 

In  1873  he  returned  to  New  York,  where  he  at  once  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  his  profession,  specializing  upon  diseases  of 
the  upper  air-passages,  and  finding  quite  enough  in  that  depart- 
ment to  fully  occupy  his  time  and  satisfy  his  ambition. 

The  same  year  he  was  appointed  extramural  teacher  of  laryn- 
gology at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  in  1875 
full  instructor;  later  in  the  same  year,  clinical  lecturer,  and  in  1876 
Clinical  Professor  of  Laryngology  and  Rhinology.  This  position 
hie  held  until  1904,  a  period  of  service  of  over  thirty  years.  Upon 
his  retirement  he  was  made  Professor  Emeritus  by  the  Trustees  of 
Columbia  University. 

Dr.  Lefferts  regarded  his  professorship  as  the  highest  honor  and 
the  greatest  opportunity  of  his  life.    Notwithstanding  his  other 


14  MEMORIAL 

professional  interests  and  accomplishments,  this  one  was  always 
his  chief  interest  and  pride.  To  it  he  devoted  his  best  energies, 
unsparing  of  time,  labor  or  financial  outlay.  Year  after  year  his 
lectures  were  revised  with  scrupulous  care,  new  illustrative  material 
of  every  possible  sort  added,  and  improved  arrangements  made  for 
the  securing  and  demonstration  of  the  best  clinical  material.  The 
faithfulness  of  his  attendance  is  attested  by  the  fact  that  he  missed 
but  one  lecture  appointment  in  a  period  of  more  than  twenty  years. 

The  lectures  were  conducted  with  true  military  promptness  and 
precision.  Every  detail  was  prepared  and  arranged  in  advance 
with  the  most  minute  care.  No  stage  setting  could  have  been  more 
elaborately  planned.  Promptly  upon  the  appointed  hour  and  at 
the  stroke  of  the  bell,  followed  by  his  staff,  he  appeared  before  the 
class,  faultlessly  attired  as  for  a  court  reception,  his  countenance 
radiating  the  earnestness  and  the  enthusiasm  which  possessed 
his  mind.  He  was  the  personification  of  the  ideal  instructor, 
impressing  his  audience  with  the  thought  that  he  held  matters 
of  great  value  and  importance  which  he  was  earnestly  anxious  to 
share  with  them  and  which  he  strove  with  all  his  power  to  impart. 

As  a  lecturer  he  was  clear,  emphatic,  persuasive,  and,  if  some- 
times a  little  sententious,  always  so  with  the  object  of  being 
impressive,  never  failing  to  hold  the  interest  of  his  hearers  and 
to  send  them  away  having  understood  and  mastered  what  he 
intended  them  to  know. 

His  assistants  were  carefully  selected.  Each  was  trained  to  the 
performance  of  a  special  duty,  which  duty,  at  the  proper  time, 
was  expected  to  be  executed  with  the  promptness  and  accuracy 
characteristic  of  the  professor  himself. 

For  the  illustration  of  the  lecture  everything  was  added  in  the 
way  of  object- teaching  that  his  remarkable  ingenuity  could  devise.^ 
Each  particular  topic  was  illustrated  by  a  series  of  charts,  splendid 
pictures  in  water-color,  showing  every  type  and  phase  of  the 
subject  at  hand.  These  were  of  large  size,  made  by  a  specially 
trained  and  skilful  artist  under  Dr.  Lefferts's  direct  personal  obser- 
vation, from  life  and  from  models  taken  from  the  best  authorities, 
the  subject  of  each  being  clearly  inscribed  upon  it.  During  the 
lecture  the  charts  pertaining  to  the  subject  were  displayed  in  full 
view  of  the  class.     To  the  collection  of  charts,  which  included 

'  See  ■'  Appendix,"  page  25. 


GEORGE  MOREWOOD   LEFFERTS  15 

upwards  of  500  specimens,  there  was  added  a  full  collection  of 
papier-mache  models  of  the  larynx,  illustrating  the  anatomy  and 
the  various  phases  of  the  pathology,  together  with  numerous  well- 
mounted  pathological  specimens.  The  special  instruments  and 
forms  of  apparatus  pertaining  to  the  subject  were  displayed 
and  as  far  as  necessary  described.  Of  these,  as  with  the  charts, 
there  was  a  comprehensive  and  lavish  outfit,  carefully  selected, 
instructive,  and  collected  regardless  of  expense. 

But  this  was  not  all.  Dr.  Lefferts  was  a  remarkable  draughts- 
man. His  blackboard  drawings,  with  colored  chalk,  were  superior 
to  any  of  his  time  except  those  of  the  late  Professor  John  C.  Dalton. 
Wherever  desirable  the  larynx  or  pharynx  of  the  patient  to  be 
demonstrated  was  illustrated  on  the  board  in  the  presence  of  the 
class,  the  process  of  the  drawing  going  on  with  the  description  of 
the  case. 

These  so-called  "lectures'^  were  by  no  means  what  is  under- 
stood as  "didactic."  The  lecture  itself,  fine  as  it  was,  was  but 
a  necessary  preliminary,  explanatory  of  the  principal  feature  of 
the  exercise.  This  was  the  actual  exhibition  of  patients.  From 
the  resources  of  himself  and  his  many  assistants,  each  of  whom 
conducted  large  outside  clinics,  numerous  cases  illustrative  of  the 
subject  in  hand,  suitable  for  exhibition  and  easy  of  demonstration, 
were  sent  to  the  College,  the  best  selected,  and  these  demonstrated 
personally  by  the  Professor,  a  line  of  students  being  formed  behind 
him  in  the  amphitheater,  each  student  in  turn  standing  in  a  posi- 
tion close  to  the  side  of  the  demonstrator  from  which  a  clear  view  of 
the  image  in  the  mirror  could  be  obtained.  Time  enough  was 
allowed  to  enable  each  one  to  recognize  the  lesion  shown,  a  general 
idea  of  which  had  already  been  given  by  the  lecture  and  by  the 
drawings,  models  and  charts. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  annual  session  a  printed  scheme  of  the 
lectures  was  handed  to  the  members  of  the  class.  Upon  a  printed 
folder  was  given  the  number,  date  and  title  of  each  lecture,  with  a 
comprehensive  synopsis  of  its  contents.  By  this  means  the  student 
was  apprised  of  the  nature  and  scope  of  the  course  and  was  enabled 
in  advance  to  prepare  himself  for  each  lecture  by  such  reading  and 
clinical  observation  as  time  and  opportunity  allowed.  Subse- 
quently the  synopsis  furnished  an  excellent  basis  for  review  and 
for  the  refreshment  of  the  memory.  In  addition  to  this,  pam- 
phlets were  distributed  in  the  course  of  the  lectures,  some  of  which 


16  MEMORIAL 

explained  the  differential  diagnosis  between  the  principal  laryn- 
geal diseases,  while  others  gave  full  and  explicit  directions  for  their 
treatment. 

Supplementary  to  the  regular  lectures  was  a  course  of  special 
instruction  in  the  practical  demonstration  of  the  upper  air-pas- 
sages. This  was  carried  on  under  the  guidance  of  the  Chief  of 
Clinic  and  a  corps  of  specially  trained  assistants.  The  class  was 
divided  into  groups  of  six,  and  six  lessons  were  given  to  each  group 
—three  lessons  a  week  for  a  fortnight,  the  time  devoted  to  each 
lesson  being  one  hour.  A  special  room  was  equipped  for  the 
purpose  of  this  instruction,  in  which  stalls  for  each  student  were 
provided,  and  these  were  furnished  with  the  illuminators,  models 
of  the  human  head  and  the  other  appurtenances  necessary  for  the 
examination  of  patients.^ 

The  course  consisted  of  instruction  in  the  use  of  the  instruments 
necessary  in  demonstrating  the  upper  air-passages,  including 
pharyngoscopy,  laryngoscopy,  anterior  and  posterior  rhinoscopy, 
and  the  examination  of  infants.  Life-size  dissected  models  of  the 
human  head  were  supplied.  These  were  invariably  used  pre- 
liminary to  exercises  upon  the  living  subject,  for  the  purpose  of 
instructing  students  in  the  technic  of  the  management  of  the 
head-mirror  and  in  the  rules  for  the  application  of  laryngoscopy, 
pharyngoscopy,  and  posterior  rhinoscopy.  This  method— em- 
ployed by  Tiirck  and  by  the  best  of  the  other  old  masters— 
enables  the  student  to  first  acquire  the  principles  of  the  technic 
of  the  examination  without  his  attention  being  disturbed  by  the 
discomforts  of  the  living  subject.  The  principles  having  been 
mastered,  normal  subjects  were  at  once  supplied,  and,  later,  more 
extended  courses  were  given  in  the  examination  and  diagnosis  of 
pathological  conditions. 

Scrupulous  care  was  taken  to  superintend  the  work  of  each 
individual  student  and  to  see  that  the  rules  taught  were  thoroughly 
explained,  understood  and  mastered.  At  the  close  of  the  course 
of  instruction  the  men  were  well  grounded  in  the  rudiments  of  the 
work  and  reasonably  prepared  for  its  further  advancement. 

The  admirable  working  of  this  system  of  practical  instruction 
began  to  be  impaired  when  the  number  of  students  in  a  group  was 
increased  to  eight;  when  the  number  became  twelve  it  was  almost 
impracticable;  and  when,  at  last,  the  order  went  forth  that  the  class 

1  See  "Appendix." 


GEORGE  MOREWOOD   LEFFERTS  17 

should  number  twenty,  the  time  for  the  method  had  gone  by. 
Students  who  had  profited  by  the  course  of  lectures  and  practical 
instruction  herein  described  graduated  with  a  profound  respect 
for  laryngology  and  a  clear  knowledge  of  its  principles. 

The  system  of  instruction  thus  instituted,  organized  and  con- 
ducted has  been  described  in  detail  because  never  in  the  de- 
partment of  laryngology  had  there  been  a  similar  course.  Others 
had  taught  the  specialty,  some  wonderfully  well;  but  nowhere, 
either  in  this  country  or  in  Europe,  had  the  undergraduate  ever 
had  the  subject  placed  before  him  with  such  clearness,  such 
comprehensiveness  and  such  practical  success. 

The  department  thus  founded  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  was  the  result  of  lavish  expenditure  and  of  patient, 
unremittingly  labor  covering  the  period  of  a  generation,  by  a  man 
peculiarly  endowed.  He  left  it  a  perfect  thing,  a  splendid  model 
for  the  whole  system  of  clinical  instruction  in  general,  and  as  such 
alone  it  was  most  desirable  that  it  should  have  been  permanently 
preserved. 

In  1904,  completing  an  active  service  of  over  thirty  years.  Dr. 
Lefferts  resigned  his  professorship  and  was  at  once  elected  Emeritus 
Professor  by  the  Trustees  of  Columbia  University  and  at  the 
following  commencement  was  awarded  the  Honorary  Degree  of 
"Master  of  Science"  (M.S.).  The  minute  entered  upon  the 
archives  of  the  institution  reads  as  follows: 

The  Faculty  of  the  College  desires  to  express  its  high  appreciation 
of  the  distinguished  services  of  Dr.  George  M.  Lefferts,  which  through 
three  decades  he  has  rendered  to  the  institution.  The  organization 
and  maintenance  of  an  important,  practical,  clinical  department  in 
the  College — eagerly  sought  by  the  students  of  successive  generations 
and  a  model  of  efficient  administration — we  recognize  as  a  large 
achievement  in  the  career  of  a  practitioner.  This  long  and  faithful 
service  and  the  generous  gift  to  the  College  of  a  valuable  collection 
of  illustrative  specimens  and  charts  are  held  in  high  appreciation  by 
his  colleagues.  This  collection,  by  resolution  of  the  Trustees  of 
Columbia  University,  adopted  November  2,  1903,  is  known  as  the 
"Lefferts  Museum  of  Teaching  Apparatus  in  Laryngology  and 
Rhinology."^ 

Dr.  Samuel  W.  Thurber,  for  many  years  Dr.  Lefferts's  associate, 
has  prepared  an  elaborate  "order-book"  of  the  Lefferts  lectures. 

1  See  "  Appendix." 


18  MEMORIAL 

This  book  is  now  deposited  in  the  department  of  "Columbiana" 
in  the  Library  of  Columbia  University.  It  presents  in  detail, 
drawn  to  scale,  the  precise  position  in  the  amphitheater  of  all  the 
apparatus  used  in  the  illustration  of  each  lecture,  together  with 
photographs  showing  the  amphitheater  so  prepared  and  equipped. 
A  full  collection  of  these  pictures  is  given  in  the  appendix  to  this 
memorial.  It  is  an  interesting  and  instructive  exhibition  in  itself 
and,  incidentally,  an  example  of  the  finished  exactness  character- 
istic of  the  man. 

When  Dr.  Lefferts  returned  to  New  York,  in  1873,  there  was  no 
society  of  laryngologists  in  any  city  in  the  world.  In  October  of 
that  year  the  New  York  Laryngological  Society,  now  in  successful 
existence  for  nearly  half  a  century,  was  founded  by  Dr.  Clinton 
Wagner.  Dr.  Lefferts  was  one  of  its  charter  members.  This 
society,  in  1885,  became  the  Section  in  Laryngology  of  the  New 
York  Academy  of  Medicine. 

In  1878,  Dr.  Lefferts  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  American 
Laryngological  Association.  His  address  delivered  at  the  opening 
of  the  first  meeting  clearly  and  eloquently  set  forth  his  ideals  of 
the  aims  and  functions  of  such  a  society.  It  was  he  who  originated 
the  name  of  the  Association,  and,  as  its  first  secretary,  was  chiefly 
instrumental  in  its  successful  organization  and  in  establishing  for 
it  those  high  ethical  and  scientific  standards  under  which  it  has 
flourished  preeminent  for  more  than  forty  years. 

The  development  of  his  system  of  undergraduate  instruction, 
and  the  part  which  he  played  as  a  pioneer  in  the  establishing  of 
not  only  the  first,  but  by  far  the  best,  of  the  societies  devoted  to 
his  specialty  were  by  no  means  his  only  notable  achievements. 

His  career  in  the  field  of  clinical  medicine  was  conspicuous. 
Prompt,  energetic,  efficient,  a  specialist  skilled  in  every  depart- 
ment of  his  art,  his  personality  combined  with  the  interest  which 
he  invariably  manifested  towards  his  patients  caused  his  private 
practice  and  his  public  clinics  to  grow  rapidly  in  numbers  and  in 
fame.  He  was  appointed  laryngologist  to  the  then  popular  Demilt 
Dispensary,  in  1873,  in  company  with  Dr.  Charles  McBurney. 
This  department  soon  gained  a  name  for  itself.  Dr.  Lefferts  serving 
it  for  six  years. 

It  was  at  the  Demilt  Dispensary,  in  1873,  that  Dr.  Lefferts, 
with  others,  estabhshed  a  regularly  organized  system  of  instruction 


GEORGE  MOREWOOD   LEFFERTS  19 

for  graduates  in  medicine,  nearly  ten  years  before  the  founding 
of  the  New  York  PolycHnic  and  the  New  York  Post-Graduate 
Schools. 

He  was  the  leading  member  and  largely  the  organizer  of  the 
throat  department  of  the  New  York  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary, 
receiving  his  appointment  in  1874  and  holding  it  until  1891.  He 
was  appointed  consultant  to  the  outdoor  department  of  Bellevue 
Hospital  in  1886,  and  was  consulting  surgeon  to  St.  Luke's  Hospital 
from  1877  until  1901.  These  appointments,  together  with  his 
large  clinic  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  were  filled 
by  him  with  the  utmost  zeal.  The  amount  of  material  at  his 
disposal  for  his  own  observation  and  for  use  in  the  course  of  his 
lectures  from  his  own  clinics  and  those  of  his  numerous  assistants 
was  enormous.  His  extensive  private  and  consultation  practice 
embraced  a  clientele  of  the  very  first  order  of  influence  and  import- 
ance. 

Always  with  the  advance  guard,  Dr.  LeflPerts  distinguished 
himself  in  the  literature  of  laryngology.  His  original  theses,  in 
a  style  well  written,  terse,  and  to  the  point,  covered  a  variety  of 
subjects  and  were  valuable  additions  to  the  knowledge  of  the  special 
topics  with  which  he  dealt. 

In  the  editorial  department  of  laryngology  he  was  again  a  leader. 
In  1880  there  was  no  joiu-nal  in  this  country  which  represented  our 
special  department  of  medicine.  Dr.  Lefterts,  in  association  with 
Dr.  Louis  Elsberg,  of  New  York,  Dr.  J.  Solis-Cohen,  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  Dr.  Frederick  Irving  Knight,  of  Boston,  founded  a 
quarterly  magazine  which  was  named  The  Archives  of  Laryn- 
gology. This  periodical  furnished  another  exemplification  of  the 
controlling  principle  of  Dr.  Lefferts's  life.  What  his  ambition 
demanded  and  what  he  ever  strove  to  attain  was,  the  best.  In 
company  with  his  distinguished  collaborators,  The  Archives  of 
Laryngology  was  made  by  far  the  best  journal  of  laryngology  that 
had  ever  appeared,  in  beauty  of  form  and  excellence  of  material 
surpassing  anything  abroad.  Ably  and  generously  conducted 
by  its  patriotic  editors,  at  the  end  of  four  useful  years  it  was 
discontinued  by  reason  of  lack  of  support,  a  grievous  loss  to  the 
scientific  world. 

Dr.  Lefferts  was  collaborator  for  the  Archives  de  Laryngologie 
of  Paris,  and  from  1884  to  1910  an  active  collaborator  of  the 


20  MEMORIAL 

Internationales  Centralblatt  fur  Laryngologie,  Rhinologie,  etc.,  of 
Berlin.  He  was  associated  with  a  number  of  other  foreign  periodi- 
cals. His  name  also  appears  as  contributor  to  various  systems  of 
medicine  and  surgery. 

With  that  ever-dominant  desire  to  disseminate  knowledge,  one 
of  his  most  useful  missions  was  accomplished  through  the  medium 
of  abstracts,  that  is,  the  placing  before  the  medical  public  the  best 
of  the  new  thought  and  ideas  of  the  leaders  of  the  laryngological 
world.  In  the  classic  work  of  Sir  Morell  Mackenzie,  published  in 
1880,  there  was  given  an  invaluable  bibliography,  dating  from  the 
earliest  times.  In  May,  1875,  Dr.  Lefferts,  in  the  New  York 
Medical  Journal,  initiated  the  publication  of  a  series  of  laryngo- 
logical references  accompanied  by  abstracts  of  such  articles  as 
were  worth  while.  In  this  particular  department  there  does  not 
appear  to  have  been  any  one  by  whom  he  was  antedated.  In 
1880  the  abstract  department  was  transferred  from  the  New  York 
Medical  Journal  to  The  Archives  of  Laryngology.  By  the  time  the 
Archives  went  out  of  existence  the  Index  Medicus,  which  had  been 
instituted  by  Dr.  John  S.  Billings,  took  over  the  bibliography, 
while  the  abstracts  were  continued  in  the  Centralblatt.  Thus, 
with  the  books  of  Sir  Morell  Mackenzie,  the  contribution  of 
Elsberg,^  the  current  records  of  Lefferts,  the  Index  Medicus  and 
the  continuation  of  Lefferts's  work  in  the  Centralblatt,  the  Laryngo- 
scoye  and  other  periodicals,  the  bibliography  of  laryngology  is 
remarkably  complete  to  date.  Here,  again,  Dr.  Lefferts  was  the 
pioneer.  As  collaborator  with  him  for  many  years  in  this  work, 
the  writer  well  knows  the  importance  which  he  attached  to  it  and 
the  tireless  energy  with  which  he  carried  it  out. 

Having  thus  sketched  the  life-work  of  Dr.  Lefferts,  let  us  now 
consider  the  personality  of  the  man  and  the  elements  of  character 
and  of  intellect  which  determined  his  success. 

Early  in  life  he  had  suffered  a  condition  of  lameness  never  entirely 
recovered  from,  and  necessarily,  to  one  of  his  sensitive  nature  and 
active  temperament,  a  serious  affliction.  The  eldest  of  seven 
children,  the  favorite  of  an  indulgent  family  circle,  one  less  resolute 
and  of  weaker  moral  courage  might  easily  have  failed  of  great 
accomplishment.  Refusing  to  yield  to  the  allurements  of  a  life  of 
indolent  self-gratification,  the  burden  of  his  disabihty  was  borne 
by  him  with  the  calmness  of  a  philosopher  and  the  fortitude  of  a 

1  Trans.  Am.  Lar.  Assn.  vol.  i.  1878.    "A  Bibliography  of  American  Laryngology." 


GEORGE  MOREWOOD    LEFFERTS  21 

brave  man.  Far  from  bringing  bitterness  and  discouragement, 
it  but  served  to  stimulate  his  ambition  and  to  quicken  the  energy 
of  his  intellect,  as  proved  by  the  ever-recurring  testimony  of  his 
history;  for,  with  every  temptation  to  the  contrary,  neither 
excellent  social  position,  ample  means  for  gratifying  his  luxurious 
tastes,  nor  his  well-developed  capacity  for  the  enjoyment  of  the 
higher  pleasures  of  life  could  divert  him  from  his  chosen  calling 
nor  quench  the  enthusiasm  with  which  he  followed  it. 

Of  miusually  attractive  personality.  Dr.  Lefferts  was  possessed 
of  a  countenance  strikingly  alert,  intelligent,  and  handsome— 
blonde,  with  features  well-modeled  and  refined  but  nevertheless 
strong.  The  gentleness  and  cordiality  of  his  impulses,  the  readi- 
ness of  his  sjTnpathy,  the  charm  of  his  manner,  were  such  as  to 
induce  enduring  friendships.  The  recollection  of  his  mirthful 
pleasantries  and  the  inimitable  radiance  of  the  smile  which  ac- 
claimed them  will  long  be  treasured  among  the  happy  memories 
of  his  friends.  Bright  and  genial  in  conversation,  he  was  a  wel- 
comed companion  and  a  charming  host. 

Inheriting  elegant  and  refined  tastes,  he  strove  for  perfection  in 
all  that  he  undertook,  from  faultlessness  of  attire  and  of  the 
surroundings  of  his  dail}'  life  to  every  detail  of  his  work.  One  of 
the  chiefest  of  his  characteristics  was  the  love  of  order.  Every- 
thing connected  with  his  affairs,  whether  professional,  business,  or 
social,  was  carried  out  with  the  utmost  regard  for  system.  Even 
the  records  of  his  routine  work  were  models  of  thoroughness  and 
elegance,  set  forth  with  consummate  clearness  and  perfection  of 
arrangement.  AYith  keen  prevision,  nothing  was  left  to  chance. 
His  watchword  was  "preparedness."  His  whole  life-work,  was 
an  eloquent  exemplification  of  that  idea.  Of  sterling  integrity, 
he  was  in  all  things  the  soul  of  honor. 

Strong  and  positive  by  nature,  his  decisions  were  quickly  made 
and  as  promptly  executed.  His  handwriting  was  unique  in  its 
clearness  and  marked  individuality.  He  was  an  excellent  draughts- 
man both  with  crayon  and  pen,  and  with  the  latter  often  evinced 
a  keen  sense  of  humor.  Having  distinctly  artistic  tastes,  his 
judgment  of  art  in  its  various  departments  was  excellent.  Fond 
of  travel,  he  spent  many  summers  abroad,  one  in  particular  in 
Japan  at  a  time  when  fine  specimens  of  its  antique  art  were  still 
obtainable.     It  was  then  that  he  secured  the  superb  collection  of 


22  MEMORIAL 

ancient  Japanese  armor  which,  deposited  as  his  gift,  is  now  one  of 
the  chief  treasures  of  the  Metropohtan  Museum  of  Art.  The 
dinners  given  by  him  annually  to  the  members  of  his  clinical  staff 
at  the  old  Delmonico's,  now  things  of  the  past,  were  to  us  one  of 
the  important  events  of  the  year.  He  was  a  good  horseman  and 
greatly  enjoyed  that  form  of  exercise.  During  the  season  there 
were  few  days  which  did  not  find  him  in  the  saddle  either  upon  the 
bridle-paths  of  the  park  or  in  the  ring  of  the  riding  club. 

That  he  succeeded  brilliantly  in  the  work  of  his  profession  was 
due  to  no  mere  chance  of  fortune  or  of  meretricious  favor.  The 
grace  and  talent  that  were  his  by  fine  inheritance  he  fully  recog- 
nized, and,  recognizing,  used  and  cultivated  with  untiring  industry 
and  zeal,  devoting  them  with  unwavering  fixedness  of  purpose  to 
the  special  object  of  his  life.  This,  his  profession,  he  mastered 
in  all  its  details  and  by  every  possible  means.  Clinical  experience, 
wide  reading,  study,  writing,  teaching,  travel,  intimate  association 
with  the  most  distinguished  authorities  at  home  and  abroad :  these 
were  the  weapons  with  which  he  steadily  fought  his  way  to  pre- 
eminence. Excellent  as  a  writer,  of  remarkable  initiative  as  an 
organizer,  great  as  a  practitioner,  he  himself  would  have  wished 
us  to  believe,  as  in  fact  we  do,  that  his  highest  usefulness  was 
attained  in  the  teaching  of  his  beloved  art.  Indeed,  the  keynote 
of  his  philosophy  was  expressed  in  his  chosen  motto:  "Docendo 
discimus"— by  teaching  we  learn. 

A  gentleman  by  birth  and  breeding,  his  character,  temperament 
and  ability  were  such  that  in  any  department  of  effort  he  would 
have  been  a  leader,  a  highly  efficient  man  of  affairs.  If  he  could 
have  left  to  the  world  but  one  legacy,  the  example  of  the  lifelong 
courage,  industry  and  enthusiasm  with  which,  by  all  the  varied 
means  we  have  enumerated  he  strove  to  relieve  the  sufferings  of 
humanity,  would  be  to  us  a  priceless  example,  a  rich  inheritance. 

Dr.  Lefferts  was  married  June  11,  1891,  to  Miss  Annie  Cuyler 
Van  Vechten,  of  Albany,  New  York,  the  daughter  of  Abraham 
Van  Vechten,  Esq.,  an  eminent  lawyer  of  that  place. 

Miss  Van  Vechten  had  attained  distinction  in  the  social  life  of 
her  home  and  in  Washington,  where,  during  the  presidency  of  Mr. 
Cleveland,  she  was  a  frequent  guest  of  his  sister,  ]\Iiss  Rose 
Elizabeth  Cleveland,  at  the  White  House,  and  a  brilliant  addi- 
tion to  its  chosen  circle.     Following  her  marriage,  Mrs.  Lefferts 's 


GEORGE   MOREWOOD    LEFFERTS  23 

residence  in  New  York  City  included  a  period  of  nineteen  years. 
At  the  end  of  this  time  Dr.  LeflFerts's  health  began  to  show  signs  of 
impairment.  For  thirty-seven  years,  as  student  and  practitioner, 
he  had  pursued  continuously  an  arduous  professional  career. 
Never  physically  robust,  and  recognizing  that  the  limits  of  his 
endurance  seemed  to  have  been  reached,  he  wisely  acquiesced,  and 
withdrawing  from  all  medical  interests  removed  to  his  country 
seat  at  Katonah,  in  the  Bedford  Hills,  New  York.  There,  with 
Mrs.  Lefferts,  amid  surroundings  which  he  loved,  he  rested  for 
ten  peaceful  years,  cheered  and  sustained  until  the  end  by  the 
companionship  which  had  been  the  crowning  happiness  of  his  life. 
Long  a  sufferer  from  cardiac  angina,  he  died  at  his  home 
September  21,  1920. 


Dr.  Lefferts  was  Fellow  of  the  Academy  of  Medicine,  New  York; 
past-President  (1876),  New  York  Laryngological  Society;  past- 
President  (1882),  of  the  American  Lar^^ngological  Association; 
past-President  (1891),  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons;  Honorary  Fellow  of  the  Laryngological 
Societies  of  London,  of  Vienna  and  of  Berlin;  and  a  member  also  of 
the  Siu-gical  Society  of  New  York,  American  Medical  Association, 
New  York  State  and  County  Medical  Societies,  and  the  University 
and  Riding  Clubs  of  New  York. 


APPENDIX 


A  COLLECTION    OF   HALFTONE    ILLUSTRATIONS    REPRESENTING 
THE   TEACHING    EQUIPMENT   OF 

THE  LEFFERTS  CLINIC 


OF  THE  COLLEGE  OF  PHYSICIANS  AND  SURGEONS 
NEW  YORK 


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1 
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